Do I need a companion for this?
Nigga is a book not an adventure
>>7878266
http://williamgaddis.org/recognitions/annota.shtml
I'd recommend a book about popular artists or art history. I had "the story of art" by my side and whenever a reference to a painter came up id look them up for a bit. Doesn't really add much to the immersion of the story but it's a cool way to learn about art along the way. Of course the downside is that it could worsen your immersion if you're not a fan of switching back and forth, like with footnotes
>>7878504
ou i hate that. i'm reading an annotated edition of Dubliners and it's tickling my autism so bad. If there's an annotation i'm compelled to flip to the back and look at it but it totally takes me out of the book and fucks with my reading comprehension.
>>7878527
I'm imagining how badly you'd sperg out trying to read infinite jest and it's hilarious.
literally a meme
"hey i want to sound highbrow and namedrop some pomo authors... pynchon and dallas fort worth are too mainstream on /lit/ though... who's the next best known postmodernist? gaddis huh? off to sparknotes i go, everyone is gonna be so impressed"
>>7878589
So it's a bad book no one should waste their time on?
>>7878601
see for yourself, anon. dont let anyone dissuade you to not read something you've taken an interest in
>>7878621
Very confused on what the point of your original post was then.
>>7878624
im not the same anon, anon.
>>7878624
that faggot wasn't me. he's deliberately copying my lack of capital letters and period in the last sentence, but he didn't realize that i never, ever, leave out apostrophes whatever else my posting lacks. a critical error in his "dont [sic]."
i dont know whether or not it's a bad book because i'm not pretending to have read it in order to sound impressive on 4chan. it's critically adored though and not well known to the plens so it must be good lel
>>7878650
wow. nice job exposing yourself for the absolute hypocrite you are. Somehow you think people judging a book based on the praise of critics is worse than someone like you, who judges a book without reading it.
>>7878675
bruh when did i make a judgement about recognitions? in my first post i observed that people on /lit/ only started talking about gaddis because tommy p. and david "autoerotic asphyxiation" foster wallace became too widely discussed for their snobbish tastes. in my second post i explicitly said "i don't know whether or not [the recognitions is] a bad book." in this post i'm mostly just hypothesizing that you're one of people put under cover to harass and defame me
>>7878715
you said it was "literally a meme", which i understand now that you're not exactly calling it trash because it's a meme, because it most certainly is in this board, you're right. But nobody was saying it wasn't a meme, and you're comment really was unnecessary unless you're making the implication that it's not worth reading because its way overrated.
>>7878740
Which it is,
And isnt.
>>7878400
Funniest thing I've read in a month
>>7878266
Before you start, read up on Early Netherlandish art (esp. Dierck Bouts, Hugo van der Goes and Bosch) and Mithraism. The gaddis.org annotations are excellent.
>>7878740
can you give me an example of a necessary comment?
>>7878814
You're a faggot. There ya go.
>>7878400
Laughing
All
Laughs
>>7878266
No, not really. I just used the internet. It's really dense book with a lot of art history behind it, but it's not like Joyce where half the things are so cryptic and obscure and personal that you need someone familiar with the author's biography and miscellanea to hold your hand.
>>7878601
Its a fantastic book. Beautiful prose, nice story, nice dialogue, amazing characters.
>>7878650
you sound like a faggot
so often people are afraid of reading long or "difficult" novels. just pick it up and start reading, it's just a book. when i read pic related a lot of the art and religious references were over my head but i dont think that detracted from my experience of the novel. the prose is pretty weird and doesnt exactly flow smoothly (try reading a page of this book out loud for example), but after a couple hundred pages i got used to his style. its a sweet book, just dive in. if you do use the gaddis.org guide, i would recommend waiting until you finish a big chunk then go back and look over the analysis/synopses
>>7878266
just be familiar with prominent European figures (poets, composers, artists and philosophers). A brief understanding of the bible can help.
A slightly above average reading comprehension will be helpful. If you just started getting into literature, do not start here.
Enjoy.
>>7878650
>he didn't realize that i never, ever, leave out apostrophes whatever else my posting lacks.
>i dont know whether or not it's a bad book
>i dont know
>dont
10/10 post
also, lmao at being paranoid that guy was trying to emulate your posting style
